1
as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
grammatical rules that seem arcane to generations of students who were never taught grammar in the first place
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cryptic
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
the rebate form uses arcane language, the only purpose of which seems to be to disqualify buyers from actually getting a rebate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
my predecessor in this job obviously had his own arcane system for filing things, and so I haven't a clue as to where anything is
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Recent Examples of arcane
Eating and drinking with friends is hardly an arcane interest akin to speed-solving puzzles.
—
Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Wilson enjoyed learning arcane bits of city code, like how exterior doors that swing outward must be recessed.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Apr. 2025
The arcane proxy voting matter had threatened to derail House GOP leadership’s plans to hold a vote this week on that budget resolution, which provides a framework for President Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda on tax cuts, border and energy policy.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 6 Apr. 2025
The president and his allies say Boasberg has no right to interfere or even play any oversight role in Trump’s actions under the Alien Enemies Act, an arcane 18th century law that permits deportation of people who are nationals of a country with which the U.S. is at war.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Wilson enjoyed learning arcane bits of city code, like how exterior doors that swing outward must be recessed.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Apr. 2025
The arcane proxy voting matter had threatened to derail House GOP leadership’s plans to hold a vote this week on that budget resolution, which provides a framework for President Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda on tax cuts, border and energy policy.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 6 Apr. 2025
The president and his allies say Boasberg has no right to interfere or even play any oversight role in Trump’s actions under the Alien Enemies Act, an arcane 18th century law that permits deportation of people who are nationals of a country with which the U.S. is at war.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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Before beginning the actual development work on a new construction software platform, technology providers must take the esoteric concept of empathy and put it into practice.—
Michael Pink,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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Science research can be esoteric; saving someone's body or mind is not.—
Ars Staff,
ArsTechnica,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The crime scene was made more terrifying by a cryptic message the killer scrawled across a wall near the victims that demanded drug money.—
David Schutz,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2025
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Amid all the trade rumors going on, Antetokounmpo has made a cryptic social media post.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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That includes the appearance of a brand new character, Lewis Pullman's mysterious Bob, a.k.a.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
2 May 2025
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Purple honey is a rare honey that has a purple color and a mysterious origin.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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In a world where digital interactions often overshadow genuine connections, the profound bond of friendship becomes, more than ever, an indispensable anchor. ...—
Hedy Phillips,
People.com,
11 May 2025
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Linda Moody describes her devotion to her late husband as a combination of profound love and pragmatism.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Storm clouds loomed over Europe, and Adolf Hitler's ambitions were not ambiguous for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear—especially U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
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Timing for the start of production is likewise ambiguous.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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According to Nutritionists By Brianna Peters In an era when nearly everything feels politicized and uncertain, these mystic tools offer something precious: a means of reconnecting with ourselves.—
Michaela Trimble,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2025
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In the West, she’s been sanctified, but also portrayed as a sinner, a nun, a mystic, and Jesus’ wife.—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These renderings obscure just how much conventional warfare took place in Vietnam.—
Made by History,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
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Parsing a FromSoftware game's obscure plot is as tricky as taking down its brutal enemies.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Each week, Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale would drive into a new locale, discover that a murder had taken place, and solve it using her uncanny ability to recognize when people are lying.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
9 May 2025
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The weekly Colombo-esque whodunnit follows Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman whose uncanny ability to spot a lie routinely gets her in trouble.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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